Contents

#### **Preface IX**


Preface

global effort to control it.

ment of AMR.

of alternative therapies.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as the most serious global health concern. AMR hampers effective prevention and treatment of infections due to the ever-increasing range of bacteria that are becoming more powerful because of the development of novel re‐ sistance mechanisms against existing and newer antibiotics. Although AMR occurs natural‐ ly in bacteria, indiscriminate use of antibiotics in the human health sector and in livestock production is accelerating its development and spread to otherwise nonresistant bacteria through different modes. Different agencies such as the World Health Organization recog‐ nized AMR as a global threat and emphasized the need for an improved and coordinated

An increasing number of infections, which were earlier easy to control, are now difficult to treat due to the development of resistance, further leading to increased medical costs, longer stays in hospital, and increased morbidity. Considering the prevailing scenario of antimicro‐ bial resistance, urgent and sincere efforts are required right from the level of individuals to the level of policymakers to curb the resistance crisis. Moreover, there is a need to change antibiotic usage behavior, wherein the way to prescribe and use antibiotics should be looked into because unregulated usage of antibiotics is the most significant factor in the develop‐

To deal with this crisis, various aspects of AMR should be taken into consideration, includ‐ ing the study of prevailing antibiogram patterns among different bacteria from humans, ani‐ mals, and the environment; development of newer classes of antibiotics to combat resistance mechanisms; detection of novel targets for antibiotics; reconsideration of conventionally used drugs showing re-emergence of susceptibility; and development as well as evaluation

This book contains seven chapters discussing different aspects of AMR. The first chapter is an introduction to the magnitude of the problem of antibiotic resistance, its causes, and miti‐ gation strategies. The second chapter highlights the importance of antibiotic resistance in zoonotic bacteria. The problem of indiscriminate use of antibiotics in animal production and its role in the development of resistance is discussed in the third chapter. The fourth chapter discusses the problem of antibiotic resistance in lactic acid bacteria, whereas Chapter 5 high‐ lights the development of resistance in wastewater treatment plants making them a signifi‐ cant source of environmental resistance. The sixth and seventh chapters describe alternative

I put this book together with strong belief that it will provide information to all researchers working on the problem of AMR. The book will also help in understanding the seriousness of the problem and the necessity of framing strategies and policies to control the develop‐

therapies: medicinal plants and beneficial microbes, respectively.
